What does CBD do?
Many customers come into our store looking to try CBD for the first time. Most often than not, they have a friend or family member that has tried a CBD product with positive results, and they are looking to try it for themselves. At our store, we regularly answer a very broad, and surprisingly complicated question: "What does CBD do? "
In short, the range of effective applications of CBD is broadening with every passing month as new studies share their findings with the medical and scientific communities, but at the current time, there are a group of effects that are agreed upon to be consistent.
CBD can help to calm anxiety.
A common request I get from my customers is a recommendation for a product that can help them relax. I normally recommend a form of edible CBD or a tincture as these are absorbed slowly into the bloodstream and give the consumer a period of time to wind down until the full effects emerge. CBD does not provide a "high " similar to the highly psychoactive THC molecule, but what it does achieve is a relaxation of the muscles in the body and a mental calmness and clarity that can lend to a reduction in anxiety even amongst users who regularly experience it. We have seen many of our customers find great success in using CBD to this end, and many report that they can use diminishing quantities of CBD over time to achieve the same results suggesting that it can be an effective tool to aid in the rehabilitation of those suffering from anxiety-related mental illnesses without developing a dependence for the substance.
CBD is an excellent tool for achieving healthy sleep.
As CBD can relax the body and calm the mind, it is no surprise that many studies that were initially intended to measure the anxiety-reducing qualities of CBD resulted in the discovery of an ancillary effect: sleep relief. According to an early review of a collection of clinical trials by the National Library of Medicine (2019), "Many of the reviewed studies suggested that cannabinoids could improve sleep quality, decrease sleep disturbances, and decrease sleep onset latency. " There is no clear answer yet as to exactly why CBD shows such clear results where even prescription medications struggle, but ongoing studies and trials of cannabinoids are finally gaining the funding they need to make significant progress towards new discoveries in this field.
CBD can reduce pain and inflammation.
One of the most common recurring purchases from our customers is our CBD focused on pain relief. While CBD that is eaten or inhaled is effective at reducing pain, topicals are the most effective at focusing this relief in the areas that need it the most. Topical CBD typically consists of a carrier oil such as coconut, palm, or hemp, with a high concentration of CBD added. CBD is capable of effectively absorbing through the skin, and with the inherent anti-inflammatory quality of the cannabis family of plants, it makes for an extremely effective treatment for many common ailments such as arthritis. Many of our customers use CBD in this form to combat muscle soreness from exercise, and post-surgery aches, and to help make the recovery from injuries more manageable.
Just like many people around the world, our customers at Cold Smoke have found relief from a variety of ailments using CBD, and we have seen the hugely beneficial results ourselves. We are still at the beginning of the scientific journey to explore the effects and benefits of cannabinoids, but even with this early research, the results are clear. CBD is an incredible substance and it's range of beneficial qualities can be useful to anyone looking to improve their mood, sleep, and health.
Author: Iain M. Gladstone
Date: 4/3/23
Sources:
National Library of Medicine 2019 clinicaltrials.gov
National Center for Biotechnology Information Accessed 04/03/23 <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31120284/>